Thursday 26th June

Thursday, 26 June 2025 01:00

By Steve Haigh

Thousands more music fans will arrive at Worthy Farm for the start of Glastonbury Festival. The government has granted Somerset Council a stay of execution, allowing it to defer a spending deficit on special needs education. A party has been held to mark the 100th birthday of a Somerset woman who has lived in the same house for 100 years...and more.

Roads around the Shepton Mallet area will again be extra busy with traffic today as thousands more music fans arrive at Worthy Farm for the start of Glastonbury Festival. Meanwhile, Great Western Railway is providing an extra 37,000 seats on trains to Castle Cary. It's designed to persuade festival-goers to ditch their cars and travel instead by rail. According to GWR, some of the artists performing at Glastonbury, including Sam Ryder, have travelled to Somerset by train.

Plans have been outlined to reopen The George in Ilminster. The bar is seeking a licence variation to allow it to sell alcohol and put on live music. The application is currently with Somerset Council awaiting a decision. Owners of The George say it's their 'one last chance' to get the historic bar open and be financially viable.

The government has granted Somerset Council a stay of execution, allowing it to defer a spending deficit on special needs education for a further two years. Demand for specialist education has soared in recent years, with the deficit at the council for special education expected to exceed £100m by April next year. Leader of Somerset Council, Bill Revan, says without the override, the authority would have been pushed closer to effective bankruptcy.

A campervan has been destroyed in a fire at Yarcombe near Chard. Concerned residents called the fire service to report flames coming from the vehicle and a hedgerow on fire. Crews from Honiton and Chard used hose reel jets, breathing apparatus, and a thermal imaging camera to extinguish the blaze.

A party has been held to mark the 100th birthday of a Somerset woman who has lived in the same house for 100 years. Phyliss Marshall was born at the property in Bucklands near Bridgwater in 1925 and says, despite many changes in her life, she never thought about leaving the house.

More from News

Friday 27th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for Yeovil Hospital to be included in the government's national review of NHS maternity services. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with four counts of fraud. Yeovil Town players will be modelling the club’s new home and away strip at Huish Park this evening...and more.
Wednesday 25th June

Businesses at the Cartgate services off the A303 near Yeovil say they feel threatened by Welcome Break Ltd's plans to build a new, bigger services area right next door. A man who lives in Tintinhull, found nearly double the drink drive limit, has been given a 20-month driving ban. Police are warning of fake tickets being on sale for Glastonbury Festival...and more
Tuesday 24th June

There’s been a drop in the number of potholes being filled in on Somerset’s roads. A Somerset company has developed a new type of un-crewed helicopter. A man has cycled from Spain to Somerset to attend Glastonbury Festival...and more
Monday 23rd June

Plans have been submitted to build a motorway-style service station at Cartgate on the A303. Police are asking for the public’s help in tracing those responsible for two house break-ins in Yeovil. A Community Champion at Tesco in Chard has been rewarded for her work supporting the local community...and more.
Friday 20th June

A fire at Pen Mill Football Club’s ground in Yeovil is being treated as deliberate. A former Principal of Yeovil College has been awarded an OBE in the King's Honours List. The Met Office is warning of high pollen levels in Somerset as temperatures rise into the high 20’s...and more
Thursday 19th June

The Met Office has issued a yellow heat warning for Somerset, effective until Sunday evening. One person was taken to hospital with injuries following a two-vehicle crash on A3088 Cartgate Link Road. Plans to build 100 new homes in Keinton Mandeville have been given the go-ahead...and more
Wednesday 18th June

Motorists in Chard are facing weeks of further travel disruption due to a delay in repairing a gas main. A teenager has been arrested in Ilminster on suspicion of possessing a knife. A fire that destroyed a tractor at Galhampton is being treated as accidental...and more.
Tuesday 17th June

People across Somerset are being encouraged to record local wildlife as part of 'The Big Count' project, monitoring changes in the diversity and abundance of wildlife in the County. A further £1 million is being spent improving flood defences in Somerset. A Yeovil care worker has been honoured for her work at a ceremony in London...and more